


Old Traditions, New Beginnings

by immie_bee



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-04 01:35:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immie_bee/pseuds/immie_bee
Summary: Lactarius' Manticore form was inspired by this art: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/301530137550050798/Valerius and Lactarius get to know one another after dinner and a bath.Find me on Tumblr @ immiebee





	1. Sharing a Space

Just let me get to my room.....  
Lactarius slowly walked back to her room in the palace, ruffling her flared dark brown hair. Her blue eyes drooping in exhaustion, she stretched her hands above her head. All she wanted was to take a bath and fall into the overly large bed.   
Between the dinner with Nadia's family and Valerius she was physically and emotionally exhausted. Nadia's family was kind, a little over bearing, but in a loving way. She was grateful Nadia didn't get upset when she had turned down her hand in marriage. Lactarius had her eyes on another, one that was a constant around Nadia and the palace: Valerius. She didn't know if he had felt the same way, but as the dinner continued on into the night she kept meeting his golden eyes. She couldn't help, but blush every time trying to be discret about it until a quick smirk from Nadia's mother, Nasrin, had Lactarius shrinking into her seat.  
Nasrin turned her head, like the regal queen she was, towards Valerius, "It seems as though the magician wishes to aquaint herself better with you Consul."  
Now Valerius was blushing as he drank from his glass peering down at his plate of food. Lactarius groaned as Nasrin ushered Navra to exchange seats with her, so she could be allowed to sit beside the consul. Quiet breathy chuckles filled the dinning room as Lactarius shuffled over to the seat next to Valerius, as he awkwardly stood to help push in her seat for her. She whispered a soft 'thank you' as he stammered back a equally quiet 'your welcome' as the Prakrans continued their dinner. Soon dinner came to and end, but not for Lactarius as Namar wished to see more of her magic while Valerius and some of Nadia's sisters retired to their rooms.  
Now as she stood in front of her door to her room her body was slowly failing to keep itself upright.

As she opened the door to her room Nadia had been so generous to allowed her to stay in, her head cocked to the side as she saw a large bottle of wine on the nightstand. Raising an eyebrow she noticed the smell of warm scented bath water. Glaring at the cracked door, she stormed over to it throwing it open.   
She paused as she barreled through the door and was met with an extremely flustered, angry, and not to mention practically nude Valerius.   
After regaining some of her senses she crossed her arms and glared.

"What are you doing in here."

Valerius equally regaining his senses sneered back, "I'm in MY new room witch. What are YOU doing in here."

Rolling her eyes Lactarius growled back, "Nadia had given me this room when I came here before and told me this was my guest room."

"Well it is now mine. Seeing that my old guest room in under constructions of sorts. And since I'm Consul I get the next largest room."

Valerius sank down into the bath more, glaring over at the enraged witch. Smirking he lifted his glass and drank waiting for her to turn and leave. What he did not expect was the witch removing her mint green, autumn red dress and proceed to walk towards the bath with a grin on her face.   
She tried to hide a blush of her own, her body wasn't exactly as fit as the Countess and if she was being honest, she had more of an athletic curvy form. In the past she had hated it, but as she was now twenty eight she had made peace with never being a tall slender beauty like so many women she envied. She sank down to her collar bone in the warm water and closed her eyes sighing and stretching out her sore muscles. With a smile on her face she peeked her one eye open to look at the Consul next to her. She was not disappointed.   
He look flustered, slight pink across his cheeks and he tried to look anywhere but towards her. Her soft cream skin glowed with new vitality as she soaked up the bath salts. After a while she sat up and slowly turned to the edge of the tub grabbing some soap and began scrubbing herself.   
Valerius stared at her in disbelief and then grabbed her wrist.   
A sneer present on his face, "What are you doing?"  
"Cleaning Consul....have you not taken a bath before?" she chirped back.

"Those are mine. You are stealing my soaps and leaving me with nothing. What will I use?"

Before he could take back his statement he felt her arms around him and heard her giggle.

"I can share. In fact not only am I willing to share my room. I'm going to share this bath and my bed with you."  
Lactarius emphasized the last word with a soft soap suds boop to Valerius' nose.  
Valerius glared into her eyes before rolling his golden orbs in defeat. He sat up and pulled her closer pouring soap in her tangle of hair. He scrubbed until he was satisfied with her mess of brown, her undercut distinct and uneven, just like the rest of her hair.

"What is with this chaos you call hair?" he jeered. 

She glared up at him while scrubbing his arms and chest, "When you live on your own long enough you learn how to do things on your own. Besides even when I was little and living with my mother in our village the elders wouldn't cut my hair."

"Oh...they wouldn't? Surely other girls cut their hair in your village."

Lactarius stopped scrubbing and clutched onto the Consul's arms and let her shoulders sink, "Not really. Long hair was part of the village tradition. We were an all female coven. We focused on honing our magic until we were old enough to leave the village. We could come and go as we pleased, have and take lovers, but never keep them in our tribe."

Washing the soap out of her hair, he watched as she played with the ends of his hair. A soft sad look crossed her eyes as she rose out of the bath and walked away to the bedroom. Valerius finished with his bath followed her pale figure into the room as the both dressed in each others presence.   
He gapped at her in a long white shirt that looked all to familiar. Staring back at him in his grey robe that was cut just a few inches over his knees, she looked down at the shirt she had stolen earlier that day.

"Yes its Lucio's," she chuckled, "I stole it earlier today. I always like his night shirts! They looked comfy."

Valerius shook his head, smirking. After Lucio was banished his room and all that was his was either burned or mysteriously dissappeared, now he knew why some of the night shirts of all things had gone missing. He sat on the edge of the bed pouring himself a glass before waving at the witch he was rooming with.

"Anyways, why didn't you follow tradition? Did you not want to be there?"

Her eyes shot open, " NO! ...I wanted to stay there....but I was more into exploring. I didn't want to learn inside the village walls. Why study magic in a safe area!? There was a whole world out there waiting for me to find its magic. But whenever I went into the nearest town with some of the elders I always was caught following travelling mercenaries. I wanted to be like them...so much so that one day after a group of us got back from the town I decided to cut my hair. I used to have hair as long as Nadia's, but one knife later and a lot of tears from the rest of the coven, I had this chaos of hair as you so lovingly put it."

She stood up on the bed bouncing and flapping her arms wildly. Valerius covering his glass as wine threatened to slosh out. Grabbing her leg and throwing her off balancing he watched as she bounced a couple times before staring up at the ceiling.   
"Didn't your mother punish you. I mean for breaking traditions."

"Nah. Ma was like me when she was young so she didn't mind me breaking tradtions. Sometimes its good to let new traditions in she always said. That's why I had to follow my Coven mother. In my village you had to follow an elder. What your powers were defined what elder was your mentor." Lactarius sat up breathless.

"And your powers are...." Valerius pried, eyebrow raised intrigued.

"All witches have basic powers we all share, but then we have secondary powers that are unique to each witch. Mine that I had been blessed with was dream walking and shapeshifting.  
"  
Valerius snorted, "Dream walking? So you sleep walk?"

"NO! Dream walking is like going between realms, sometimes I can peer into others dreams if they dream powerful enough.....its hard to explain. Even to other witches."

"And the shape shifting?"  
Lactarius smiled sheepishly at the blanket.  
Valerius looked over at her, giving pause mid sip. He could swear her tangled mop of hair was growing.   
Yes, he thought, it is. He watched as dark brown traveled down a little past her shoulders. It was raised like the hackles of a hyena, but it looked ethereal. Magic. 

"What's wrong?"

Valerius reached out and gently touched the mane of hair falling down over her back. Sensing that she had lost a little control of her magic, Lactarius gave a startled squeak. Her beautiful mane disappeared under Valerius' touch in a soft whisper of smoke.

"Why can't I see?" he chuffed, slightly offended.

She shuffled towards the end of the bed facing him, blush creeping over her. She rubbed her hands along her thighs trying to calm herself. 

"You sure? Most people don't like what I am. I scare them."

Valerius leaned back against the nest of pillows, "Do you turn into a giant spider?"

She laughed sitting up a little straighter, "Not exactly. But its not something people see every day."

Her eyes went sad as she stared down into her hands. Tears threatening to spill.

"I'm even a freak among witches. I cant help it. Its not my fault the goddesses chose my form. Everyone said it was because my father corrupted my mother. He was from the South, a Scourge, that happened to fall for my mother. He died before I was born, but everyone in my coven had wished he died before I was concieved then I wouldnt have ended up in this form."

Valerius sat his glass down crawling towards her placing a hand in hers, "Well I cant see what kind of "freak" you are until you show me." 

Sighing she sat up on her knees and let her magic wash over her. Her body was consumed in a soft grey smoke and tiny golden sparkle falling onto the bed. Valerius sat on his heels waiting for her reveal with golden eyes focused.   
He stumbled back starlted when a humanoid clawed hand revealed itself from the smoke followed by furred arm. Valerius watched as the figure raised over his head and sat back on its haunches. What greeted him was nothing short of magic and danger.   
A manticore.

Her face still held a resemblance of human but also that of a lion. The tangle of miss cut hair had turned into a long flowing chocolate mane. Her skin?fur? was the color of her once human flesh with more of a dappling of shade here and there. What really brought his fear into perspective was her tail. Instead of soft regal that was the lion half, it raised from between her shoulders was blue black exoskeleton that protected her spine all the way down to her haunches. Instead of stopping there it continued and became a scorpion tail. Nothing short of long and elegant like the rest of her form but twice as deadly.   
Valerius swallowed hard and stared up into soft blue gold eyes. 

"So this is your....shape?" 

The manticore leaned down and gave a snort, grinning a full row of teeth complete with large canine fangs.   
Valerius reached out tentatively pulling back. Lactarius leaned forward placing the top of her head in his shaking hand. 

~I'm not going to eat you. I already had supper remember. Nadia, her family....... just a few hours ago.~

Valerius reeled back staring around. She hadn't talked. He would have felt her jaw move if she did.   
She sat up stretching her back legs, all feral human/lion like toes spread. She smirked and chuffed, falling over on the bed. 

~Telepathy of sorts, Consul. This body doesn't speak like a human would. Just think of it how a witch talks to their familiar.~ 

Valerius nodded his head. Eyes wide staring at the lounging creature at the end of the bed. 

"So. This is your form?" he paused, "Well if I'm being blunt you could have gone for something a little smaller. Like lap cat sized."

Lactarius gave a snort as she rolled over on her back, front limbs stretched above her head and flexing her hands?paws? out of sync.  
~   
Are you saying I'm not cute in this form?~

Valerius rolled his eyes, "Utterly adorable. Now can you change back? I would like to sleep sometime tonight and cant very well get comfortable with a witch the size of lion in my bed."

Lactarius smirked and smoke slowly settled over her form again. Valerius watched and sucked in a gasp when she emerged again. She was lying on her back, staring up at him, arms over her head. Her eyes glittered as he met her eyes. She rolled over her short tangle of hair sticking up in different directions, the perfect display of bed head. 

Sighing Valerius held his arms out to her, "Come here wild witch. Your hair is a disaster it needs brushing."

She crawled up to the head of the bed with the amused man. Lactarius settled a leg on each side of the Consul looking into his face, smiling. She grabbed the half empty wine glass taking a drink of it and smacking her lips as she finished off the last of it as he brushed his long fingers through her messy hair. He rolled his eyes as he slowly ran his fingers through her hair.

"Heathen."

She nuzzled into his neck slowly relaxing into his tender care, "And yet you are sharing a bed with me."

Valerius snorted gently pulling her hair and tilting her head up to meet his. 

"And y-" he paused staring at her now relaxed frame on his.

Her eyes were struggling to stay open, she had used most of her magic earlier as she entertain Nadia and her famliy. The Prakrans were gracious to her and even after she had politely let Nadia down when she had requested for her hand in marriage (her heart had found another as she eliquantly put it while meeting Valerius' eyes) Nadia's family still welcomed her with opened arms. Namar was smitten with her as she performed different light tricks during dinner and making the flames on candle turn into tiny dancers swaying with the music. Lactarius was in every way a mixture of tradition and new beginings. It was something that had Valerius frusterated at first, but after everything that had happened before Lucio's banishment, he was begining to love. Valerius placed a hand over her eyes slowly running his fingertips lightly over her eyebrows and forehead. She made a soft noise of happiness and she ground against him.   
Nuzzling up to drop a soft kiss to his neck and genlty pawed at his robe. Gently grabbing her hand in his he shook his head, he would rather have her when she awake and alert than half asleep and the wine relaxing her into unconciousness. He shifted slightly blowing out the candle and then sinking down into the large plush bed.

"Shhh... sleep. We can talk in the morning."  
He wrapped his arms around her waist slowly letting sleep claim him as well.


	2. Sharing Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning brings new light, hope and love......and maybe a loud Consort.

Valerius cracked an eye open as he heard the soft chirps of bird from outside the draped windows. Why didn't he think to shut the curtains before he wen to sleep? He groaned softly and slowly stretched out his arms. A soft groan followed suit as he went to shift his body. Oh...thats why.  
Staring down he remembered he was sharing a room with Nadia's favored witch. Lactarius was still sleeping against him as he sat up to rub the sleep out of his eyes and blindly reaching for his glass and bottle of wine. After pouring a small amount he settled back against the pillows gently stroking Lactarius' short and comically wild hair. He chuckled as she nuzzled into his lap scrunching up her face as she began to wake from her slumber. 

Brushing her cheek he whispered, "Good morning wild witch."

Sitting up and stretching almost cat like (totally blaming her manticore form) she collapsed next to him with her rear in the air. Pulling a pillow over her head she mumbled and groaned.   
Rolling his eyes, he playfully swatted her wiggling rump earning him a yelp and soon a glare from under the pillow. 

"Stttttooooppppp!!!!! I'm sleepy!" she whined comically. 

Valerius looked down with an evil glint in his eyes, "Oh my...it seems as though Lucio has returned in the form of witch."

That got a reaction from her as she shot straight up and soon he was nose to nose with angry blue eyes. Her hair becoming more mane like and a snarling row of canines appeared from behind her soft lips. 

"No. I am me. And nobody else."

He gently cupped her cheek pulling her close and delivering a soft kiss to her lips. He stroked her cheek and sat down his drink pulling her into his lap. She gave an annoyed huff and crossed her arms, a pout playing on her lips. Her mane fizzing away under a soft wisp of smoke. 

"Easy my little witch, I was only playing."

Lactarius sighed sinking down into his arms and pulled herself up against his chest. She gave a smirk and looked up at him with a devious grin. 

Valerius looked down squinting his golden eyes, "What are you up to litt-!!!!"

A groan escaped him as she rocked down against him in teasing thrust. She reached up to grab his long hair, unbraided and falling like a ombre waterfall against his back and chest. He shuddered as she used his hair and pulled him down for a heated kiss. Rocking herself against him she heard his breath catch in his throat as she swallowed it with a smile and hum of approval.   
Lactarius shuddered as she felt his arousal more and more pronounced the more she ground her hip against him. She slowly stroked her hands over his slightly bare chest, trying to coax him out of his night robe.   
After a few minutes she was successful at her attempts and he let his robe part.   
Valerius was also trying to overcome his obstacle with her (formerly Lucio's) nightshirt. His hands met soft cream flesh and he slowly lifted her shirt over her head taking in her form in the early morning light. She gave a soft smile kissing his palm as he cupped her face with one hand while his other hand explored her frame. His long fingers traced her collarbone, then the outline of her breast and continued lower. She squirmed and looked away as his hands brushed over her belly and waist, this was usually when former lovers would comment or say something snarky or cruel about her. She had more of curvy athletic build, which most of her ex-lovers when they found out didn't bother to stick around for more than a week or two. Why go after a hen when their are slimmer more gorgeous birds around, one of her former lovers had so eloquently put it when she saw them with another woman in their arms. She tensed waiting for a sharp remark only to get a soft kiss on her temple. Looking back at Valerius she watched him splay out a palm in the center of stomach, his eyes soft and distant as if remembering a past or recalling a dream.   
"You would look precious swollen with child."  
Blushing after realizing what he had just said aloud he coughed lightly looking over to his drink picking it up and taking a sip, "I apologize. I do not know what came over me."  
Looking into her eyes he was taken back by her reaction; she was smiling, on the verge of tears, and even brushing her hand over her eyes.  
"That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me, most just give me a snarky or vulgar remark."  
Valerius cupped her face in his hand and thumbed over her cheeks, "Well no wonder. If they were all brutish peasants I wouldn't expect anything more than vulgar behavior."  
Lactarius let out a soft laugh, nodding her head in agreement. Valerius then grabbed the nape of her neck bringing her into an open mouth kissed as he continued exploring her body.   
She shuddered as he traced a finger over just over sex. Closing her eyes she leaned her head back enjoying the feeling of soft hands exploring her body.  
Groaning when she felt his teeth gently nip at her collarbone and then proceed to kiss and suck a bruise in the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her own fingers began exploring as she kissed and bit at her lovers neck and chest.   
Her fingers finally travelled low enough that she found his member stroking it gently not wanting this moment to end quickly. Valerius leaned his head on her shoulder groaning; gripping her hips and making half hearted attempts to thrust into her skilled hand. 

"You going to be alright Consul?" she gave a soft breathy chuckle as he gave a particularly hard thrust upwards making her body bounce.

"I don't know...." he groaned, "I could ask you the same thing, witch."

She gave a soft cry as she felt a skilled finger enter her wet center soon followed by a second. Soon she was grinding into his hand while stroking his length in tempo.   
Growling the Consul pulled his fingers out of her and slapped her hand away from himself. He grabbed her hips and pulling her legs around his waist as she grabbed his member, leaning back to line him up to spear her.   
He stared at her with worry in his eyes. Yes, she had saved him from the Devil's chains and was gracious enough to forgive him and all his faults when he did nothing during his time as leader of Vesuvia, but this was something new. A chance to start over.   
Her deep blue eyes met his golden eyes as she sank down on him, pulling him close to engulf him in a warm passionate kiss. Giving a breathy sigh, she wrapped her legs around him, hooking her ankles behind him while leaning back, almost in a relaxed posture to stare at his blushing face. She gently tugged a large strand of his hair, pulling him in close to her as she rocked her hips in a slow sensual manner; proceeding to spear him deeper into her core. 

"I always admired the Hierophant arcana. Strong sense of family.....tradition....wisdom... guidance...heh...", they both groaned in unison as Valerius hit a spot inside her that made her insides unconsciously squeeze around him, "when I was younger I didn't experience it fully. I was too caught up with experiencing something new and fascinating. But now.....family is all I can think of. What it is like to have a family again."

Valerius shuddered as she gave a hard thrust downwards to meet his. Her nails digging into his arms as he leaned her backwards towards the bed. Pulling her hands over her head as he grabbed her hip with the other, gaining more speed. Lactarius gave a sharp cry as she threw her head back lifting her hips to meet his. 

"I would really like...to get to know more Vesuvia traditions. But I need someone who has a strong traditions that are tied to this remarkable city.", she locked her legs around him and threw herself up pushing him to lay on his back, "Someone equally remarkable."

Listening to her purr out the last sentence, Valerius blushed full crimson. Gently cupping her breasts as she rocked against him. His wandering hands lowered until one hand rested on her lower stomach, gently squeezing the soft flesh. The other hand pinching a raised nipple. She gave a sharp cry as she ground her hip down as he rose his hips to meet hers. He let his hands fall to her hips as her thrusts became more erratic. Her head tucked close to her chest, her eyes glossed over, and her tongue slightly sticking out; she gave a shuddered cry as she arched her back almost painfully as she hit her orgasm when he began to rub his thumb in a sharp circle over her clit.   
Valerius soon followed suit, with a shout as she milked him for everything he would give her. Both chasing their pleasure with one another as the slowly came back down to reality.   
Lactarius leaned forward placing her hands on her lovers flushed chest. She smiled down with soft eyes as she watched him stare up at her with heated glossy eyes. Hands on her hips gently stroked her soft cream flesh after leaving a bruising grip.   
Valerius let his hands fall against the large mound of pillows as he stared up in awe at his witch; her frame blanketed in the soft yellows of the rising sunlight. Lactarius slowly rocked herself through a smaller orgasm, her magic bursting forth for a brief moment her hair became mane like raising up in a hackle of fur. She gave a soft moan as she raised her hands to rub the sleep out of her eye while brushing her mane away in a soft sparkle of smoke, shuddering when Valerius gently squeezed her thigh. 

Sitting up he leaned against her shoulder with a grin on his face, "Mmmm....did you mean that my little witch? Or what it a heat of the moment speech?"

She stroked his long ombre hair nuzzling into his face as both of them caught their breathes. Gently kissing his temple as she stroked small soothing circles behind his ears and neck. 

"I meant it. I lost my family traditions long ago. I want someone to share new traditions with. That is if you want to share."

Valerius cupped her face. Grinning he played with her mess of short unkempt hair. Kissing her sweaty forehead he gave a soft laugh.

"I would love to teach a witch about Vesuvia traditions."

She gave a squeal of delight, wrapping her arms around his neck. While the two laughed and enjoyed the afterglow, the door to their room unceremoniously swung open revealing Nadia's father beaming at the two lovers. 

"Congratulations you two! I heard everything while walking by for breakfast!"

Valerius blushing and sputtering trying to pull the covers up and around them only failing to do so, then proceeded to bury his face in Lactarius' neck. Lactarius could only sit there on her knees, with her lover still buried inside her, blush carrying from her face down to her still bare chest. 

"I shall tell everyone the great news! You two get cleaned up! So much passion! Reminds me of when Nasrin and I had just married....." Namar's eyes going misty despite the awkward situation. 

"Um....sir," Lactarius finally finding her voice. "Could we talk about this more at breakfast when we are more...um....clothed."

Snapping back to his senses Namar waved his hands, "Ah yes! I shall go start the tale of your happiness! Not sparing a single detail!"

And with that the door was closed with a joyful Namar loudly boasting down the hall to any servants he happened to pass," Everyone! The Consul and witch have confessed love to each other! DO NOT DISTURB THEM! THEY ARE STILL IN THEIR LOVERS EMBRACE! SO MUCH PASSION I CAN'T BELIVE NO ONE ELSE HEARD THEM!"

Lactarius gave an loud embarrassed laugh holding her face with her hand while still clinging to the traumatized consul. Valerius gave a groan as he pulled out of the still laughing witch. Resting his head on her shoulder glaring at the door he reached for the bottle of forgotten wine and didn't spare the glass. Taking a long swig forgetting his proper wine drinking etiquette.

Wiping his mouth he hissed, "I really hate that man."

Lactarius giggled sitting up on her knees and peppering his face with kisses, "Oh dear Hierophant, I thought family was something to be treasured. No matter how boisterous they are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Valerius, all he wants is to drink his wine and enjoy his lover without being disturbed.

**Author's Note:**

> Well look at that soft core fluff. Smut will be in the next chapter.  
> Lactarius' Manticore form was inspired by this art: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/301530137550050798/
> 
> Tumblr@ immiebee


End file.
